Covid-19 presents unprecedented danger and circumstances for her and her family, and we believe she should be able to be home in Columbus, Ohio with her family without fear of deportation. The reality of being isolated in a church unable to care for her family, without access to medical care is absurd. It is clear something different needs to happen here, even if only temporarily. Edith has joined several others in Sanctuary in requesting a Stay of Removal during this pandemic.

Sign this petition calling on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to intervene in this situation. If ICE were to grant a Stay of Removal, although temporary, it would allow Edith to be home with her family without fear of deportation during these exceptional circumstances.

Take Action: Sign Edith’s Petition Urging USCCB Intervention

“Given the recent developments around this national health emergency, we believe common sense dictates lifting the threat of deportation against vulnerable immigrants like Edith. In late March, the Trump administration extended the federal social distancing guidelines until at least April 30th. Ohio Gov. DeWine has recently issued state-wide stay-at-home orders. It would be absurd to neglect these precautionary but necessary measures. Just like many Americans, Edith is feeling additional stress during this surreal situation. However, unlike many of us, Edith has to also deal with the looming threat of deportation, which is tormenting her and having a toll on her mental health. Just as most of us are depending on our families to help us get through this stressful national health emergency, Edith should be allowed to leave sanctuary without facing arrest to shelter-in-place with her family.” (read more)

This situation is extremely urgent right now. Miriam, the other mother in Sanctuary in Columbus, has recently had her own fears around Corona virus. Her story helps highlights how difficult it is attempting to live in quarantine from both, ICE and this virus. This is why it’s all the more urgent we get your help right now.

Can you help us get the word out?

Share a selfie on social media: (sample message) “I just signed this petition (bit.ly/usccbedith) urging the the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to take immediate action by asking ICE to grant a pandemic Stay of Removal for Edith Espinal. I’ve only been #SocialDistancing for XX days now and I can’t even imagine what Edith’s #915DaysInQuarantine feel like.  Please join me in signing her petition!”

Thank you so much for your help, we know everyone has so much on their plates but it is good to know there are great supporters like all of you out there. If you have any questions or want any direct updates, please follow along with Edith on her Solidarity for Edith Espinal facebook page.

The post Sign Petition Asking USCCB to Help Edith Espinal appeared first on dreamactivist.org.

Please sign his petition calling on Sen. Rubio to intervene in his case. Jose Antonio has been detained by ICE since May of 2018. Jose, his wife and young daughter fled from Cuba and came here to the U.S. for protection. Jose was immediately separated from his family, they were released on their own recognizance, while he has been sent to multiple detention centers.

Jose is in extreme pain. He called his wife on June 22nd to say goodbye, telling her he did not think he’d live to make it out of detention. Jose’s attorneys have been in touch with Sen. Rubio for weeks yet they have refused to move a finger on his case. Sen. Rubio claims to care about Cubans, yet Jose Antonio remains languishing away inside this Louisiana detention center.

After you sign the petition please take a minute to make a call to the Senator’s office directly.

D.C. Office @ 202-224-3041 and Tampa Office @813-853-1099

“Hi, I was calling to find out why Sen. Rubio is refusing to support Jose Antonio? He fled from Cuba and is now being tortured in an American detention center. Jose had hip-replacement surgery just days ago, but he is left languishing away at the center. This is inhumane and unjust. I demand Senator Rubio take immediate action and stop ignoring Jose Antonio!”

Finally, help us get the word out by sharing this graphic with your friends and groups.

The post “These people make Cuba look like the better country…” appeared first on dreamactivist.org.

The post Faith Letter of Support for Claudio Rojas appeared first on dreamactivist.org.

Contact:  Mohammad Abdollahi, 520-243-9777
Gregory Copeland, 212-433-0914

Federal Lawsuit Seeks Release and a Stay of Deportation for

The Infiltrators Activist Claudio Rojas

Lawsuit alleges that ICE is violating Mr. Rojas’s rights to free speech and due process

Miami, FL:  A coalition of immigrant rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida, seeking release and a stay of deportation for immigrant rights activist Claudio Rojas. The case, Rojas v. Moore, has been assigned to Judge James Lawrence King. An emergency request for a temporary stay and release order is pending.

According to the lawsuit, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Mr. Rojas on February 27, 2019, when he appeared for a routine immigration appointment. His abrupt detention came at the heels of the Sundance Film Festival premiere of a documentary film, The Infiltrators, which features Mr. Rojas’s activism and criticism of ICE detention policies.

Mr. Rojas’s detention has already had a chilling effect on the immigrant rights and documentary film communities. “The Infiltrators centers on Claudio’s brave voice and the people he inspired to take action,” said Cristina Ibarra, one of the The Infiltrators filmmakers, who submitted a declaration in support of Mr. Rojas. “He spoke out about detention and now he has been re-detained. That is the very definition of abuse of power.”

ICE’s actions, the lawsuit contends, are Illegal. “The rule of law in this country includes, first and foremost, the Constitution,” said Alina Das and Jessica Rofe of the New York University Immigrant Rights Clinic. “ICE is not above the law-the First Amendment protects activists like Claudio from being targeted for detention and deportation because they speak out. No one wants to live in a country where the government can so easily silence dissent.”

Mr. Rojas’s detention and imminent deportation also threatens his pending applications for immigration status. A victim of a labor trafficking scheme by a former employer, Mr. Rojas had been working with the U.S. Department of Labor in its investigation. “Congress sought to protect victims of trafficking and crime from deportation. ICE can’t ignore those protections, or prevent other government agencies from investigating workers rights abuses.” said Sarah Gillman and Gregory Copeland of NSC Community Legal Defense.

Mr. Rojas remains in Krome Service Processing Center, where he has been separated from his wife, two sons, and his grandson. Sandy R. Pineda and Francisco Lopez,  Mr. Rojas’s immigration lawyers from Angel F. Leal, Jr., P.A., said, “Detaining Mr. Rojas is cruel, illegal, and unnecessary. ICE has never once suggested that Mr. Rojas is a flight risk or danger. His family needs him home.”

The case is awaiting decision on an emergency motion before Judge King, with ICE poised to deport Mr. Rojas as soon as March 30, 2019. “ICE’s power is not limitless,” said Becky Sharpless of University of Miami’s Immigration Clinic, who argued the emergency motion. “When ICE rushes to deport someone without following the law, courts must act. The stakes are just too high.”

DreamActivist and several other organizations has been organizing for Mr. Rojas’s release and an end to efforts to deport him. Supporters are urged to sign the petition urging congressional intervention here: http://bit.ly/visitclaudio.

The post Federal Lawsuit Seeks Release of Infiltrators Activist Claudio Rojas appeared first on dreamactivist.org.

“As DreamActivist.org and our over 350,000 members around the nation, we implore Democrats to come to the table and negotiate an end to the shutdown. Not only are 800,000 federal workers being held hostage, but so are the lives of over 2 million immigrants who deserve a permanent solution. We stand with LULAC, and support any effort to find a permanent solution for our members.

Under the Obama administration, the same congressional Democrats who today are leading the “resistance” against Trump, supported Obama while he built the largest deportation force this country has ever witnessed. For 15 years now Democrats have continued to stall any opportunity to advance protections for the over 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Democrats, year after year, funded the deportation of more than 2.1 million undocumented immigrants, many of them the same DACA students they now profess to care about. They negotiated harsh enforcement packages without any concessions in return, even allowing the Obama administration to build new family detention centers. They said nothing when fathers were torn apart from their children and even fought in Federal Court to prevent children as young as 3 from being provided attorneys.

“Dreamers today only need protection as a result of 5 democrats who voted against the DREAM Act in 2010, a stand-alone bill that would have granted permanent legal status for the now DACA students. The same organizations -FIRM Action, United We Dream, Reform Immigration for America- who today call into question the morality of negotiating with Trump held ‘back door’ meetings with Senate Democrats to kill the DREAM Act. In 2014, in an internal strategy memo, Ali Noorani from the National Immigration Forum blamed failure of reform on the plight of thousands of unaccompanied children who fled imminent death to seek protection in the United States. The Forum’s sentiments were echoed by Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton and other leading administration officials.

“Make no mistake about it, we are not coming to the table because we want to, rather because we have no faith that Democrats will ever act on their promises. Under Democratic leadership, even when they controlled the House, Senate and the Presidency, we gained nothing but continued enforcement without a single concession in return. In 2010 Sen. Schumer proposed and passed a sweeping $600 million bill for harmful border enforcement. In 2013 the Senate passed S.744, a bill that would have allocated funding for 700 miles of fencing, the hiring of over 20,000 new CBP officers, increased penalties for immigrants with certain criminal charges and countless other measures that would have had lasting long-term effects on the lives of the same immigrants they profess to care about today.

“For eight years, the Democrats allowed President Obama to be far worse than Trump has been. And the same immigrant rights organizations refusing to negotiate are the same ones who told immigrants to tolerate Obama’s deportations. Democrats care more about keeping the immigration issue and immigrants as their political pawns than negotiating a real solution. The existing DACA policy, issued in 2012, came about only after our members occupied and shut down dozens of Obama campaign offices around the country. Just weeks after the DACA decision, not believing the Democrats promises that some would be spared from deportation, our members infiltrated the Broward Detention Center uncovering scores of Dreamers still facing deportation. In 2013 our members self-deported to Mexico, only to return days later with hundreds of previously deported immigrants, demanding that they be allowed to reunite with family in the United States.

“While other organizations (United We Dream, FIRM Action, UndocuBlack and the Southern Border Communities Coalition) claim to speak for the ‘affected population,’ their words ring just as hollow as the failed promises of Democrats. These same organizations take pride in being part of the “resistance,” and refuse to reach across the aisle. As DreamActivist.org, an organization solely made up, and lead by the undocumented immigrants, we have been successful working with Republicans to win discretion under the Trump administration. Our members do not have the convenience of “resisting” when they could be deported tomorrow. Regardless of how the negotiations end, we will continue to reach across the aisle and build meaningful relationships to defend our members.

“Our membership is calling for immediate action from Democrats, to finally come to the table and negotiate a deal that will lead to a permanent solution for DACA and TPS beneficiaries. We unequivocally stand with LULAC and will do everything in our power, just as we did when Sen. Rubio (R) proposed his own DREAM Act measure in 2012, to ensure that our members voices are heard.

Media Contact: 520-243-9777

###

DreamActivist.org is the largest and only immigrant rights organization in the country that is lead solely by undocumented immigrants. All of the work we do is directly funded by our over 350,000 members across the United States. DreamActivist.org has affiliated organizations throughout the Americas, in Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Our mission has always been to be a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable amongst us.

The post DreamActivist Stands with LULAC in Calling for Negotiations with Trump for a Permanent DACA and TPS Solution appeared first on dreamactivist.org.

It’s a little hard to believe but it’s just the reality we are living in right now. Catholic Charities has signed a contract with ICE and is now actively detaining mothers and children, these are the families who were separated from their kids on the border. For a week now we have been fielding calls from loved ones all over the U.S. who have been unable to reach relatives who were locked up and separated under the Trump Zero Tolerance policy. After a few days of searching for them we uncovered a retreat center in San Juan, Texas, belonging to Catholic Charities, where these families are being held.

This is illegal. People who have been released from here have reported that they were unable to call anyone while being held. They were told their loved ones around the U.S. did not have permission to come pick them up, or even book travel arrangements for them to leave.

These families are being held hostage by Catholic Charities and we need it to stop. There is no reason why Catholic Charities should be working this closely with ICE, and pretty much treating these families as bad, if not worse, than ICE does in its own detention center.

Please join us in calling on Catholic Charities to cease this practice, and to immediately get out of the detention business.

The post Tell Catholic Charities to Stop Detaining Parents and Kids appeared first on dreamactivist.org.

On July 3oth we are going to attend the city council meeting, please RSVP here if you can attend. We are trying to get at least 20 community members together to have a big showing. We’ll update you with talking points and such as the day approaches.

The post Join us in Asking Columbus City Council to #StandWithEdithEspinal appeared first on dreamactivist.org.

Here are 5 easy steps you can take to make sure Edith’s case is a priority for our elected officials:

1-   Call the Columbus City Council and urge them to pass a resolution in support of Edith Espinal. Similar resolutions have been passed in Austin, Texas, Philadelphia, PA and Raleigh, North Carolina. The proposed resolution for Edith calls on our Members of Congress to advocate on behalf of Edith Espinal.

Call Shannon G. Hardin, Council President’s office @ (614) 645-5291 or (614) 645-2726

Sample Call-in Script: “Hi, I am calling to urge the Columbus City Council to make Edith’s case a priority and pass the resolution calling on our Members of Congress to help. Edith has been living in sanctuary for 10-months now, it is time for Columbus to stand with Edith Espinal. Thanks.”

2-   RSVP and attend the next Columbus City Council open meeting. These meetings take place every Monday at 5:00pm at 90 W. Broad Street. The next big meet up to attend a hearing on behalf of Edith is July 30th. Please RSVP if you can attend, arrive early to sign up to speak.

3-    Sign the petition urging the Columbus City Council to #StandWithEdithEspinal. We want to deliver all of these petition signatures directly to the City Council, please add your name and share the petition with your friends. Sign the Petition.

4-    Call Rep. Beatty and ask she make Edith’s case a priority; previous conversations with Rep. Beatty have lead to broken promises. Previously Rep. Beatty told Edith she was too busy in Washington D.C. to visit with her. With it being August Recess for Members of Congress, we are again renewing our request that Rep. Beatty champion Edith’s case. Ask Rep. Beatty to act!

5-    Share something and help us get the word out. As Edith’s campaign continues to grow we need all of the help we can get. Take a minute to share this action alert with your friends on facebook. We also need help from anyone who lives in the area and wants to organize around Edith’s campaign locally. Get in touch with us (columbussanctuarycollective@gmail.com) if you have some spare time to help!

Sample Facebook / Twitter message: “Take Action: Here are 5 things you can do right now to help support Edith who has been living in sanctuary in OH for 10 months now! bit.ly/standwithohedith Please #SHARE”

The post Take Action: 5 Ways You Can #StandWithEdithEspinal appeared first on dreamactivist.org.

A great victory out of Texas, Laura Monterrosa was granted deferred action and told she can stay for another year. This was after more than a six-month long campaign by Grassroots Leadership out of Austin, Texas to get Laura released from the T. Don Hutto detention center. Laura winning discretion shows that it is still possible to win these types of deportation campaigns, even in a Trump administration. What set this case aside from so many others is that Rep. O’Rourke actually reacted to the community pressure and took action by holding DHS in Washington D.C. directly accountable.

Laura first came forward in October of 2017, telling Grassroots Leadership that she had been the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a CoreCivic detention guard. Instead of immediately release Laura, ICE out of San Antonio denied her request for a stay of deportation. Texas ICE worked with the Williamson County Sheriff’s office to close an investigation into the sexual abuse. Days before Laura was released ICE had demanded she sign travel papers or face prison time.

Let’s celebrate Laura’s victory and continue to fight for others just like her!

The post Victory: Laura Monterrosa Granted Deferred Action appeared first on dreamactivist.org.

This is a huge victory right now, at least since 2014 (yes, under Obama) ICE has been refusing to grant bond for immigrants in detention. They’ve just been forcing immigrants to wait to see if they can get a bond from the judge, a process that can take weeks even when people have representation. This campaign was a success because of Victor’s own family, especially his 17 year old daughter Nataly, being so open and willing to be involved. Reaching out for help and letting the community come out and fight for Victor is what ultimately pressured congressional offices and ICE to act.

Community members started an online petition urging Rep. Hurd (R) to take action. On February 12th Nataly spoke with Rep. O’Rourke, a democratic representative from Texas who is running for senate in 2018, at a campaign event in San Marcos. She pleaded with him to call on his friend Rep. Hurd to help get her dad out.

On February 16th the Statesman published an op-ed from Nataly, I’ll spend my senior year getting my dad out of ICE custody.

I was very excited for this year; senior year is supposed to be the greatest year of high school. It’s when you find out if you will move on to college, and you can look forward to prom, senior trip and graduation.

This won’t be the case anymore. Instead of looking for prom dresses, nail designs and heels, I’m searching for lawyers, organizations and congressmen — anyone able to help get my dad released.

My prayerful hope is that Congressman Roger Williams, who represents Wimberley, and Congressman Will Hurd, who now represents my dad while he is indefinitely held in a detention center in Pearsall, will both hear my family’s plea and help to reunite us with our father.

And the next day supporters held a rally outside of Rep. Hurd’s office in San Antonio. At the event Nataly dropped off these bears for the members office to hold onto until her dad was released.

The post Victory: Nataly’s Dad was Granted an ICE Bond appeared first on dreamactivist.org.